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Anteater · 12-20-2009, 08:10 PM

England – Garden Shed (1977)

"In Progressive Rock's Dying Breath, A Final Classic Emerged..."

1. Midnight Madness (6:58)
2. All Alone (Introducing) (1:53)
3. Three Piece Suite (12:58)
4. Paraffinalea (4:12)
5. Yellow (5:24)
6. Poisoned Youth (16:17)

Arriving in 1977 at the height of punk's popularity, it's no wonder that the boys who formed England and then released a proggy work of this calibur weren't stoned to death in the streets. Especially considering the fact it came on a major label. "Progressive rock in OUR U.K.? BOLLOCKS!!!"

Still, all things considered, this album was mostly certainly the last "straight up" progressive rock album to be released on a major label up until the 90's, and thus could be considered to be the last masterpiece from a movement in music that many people were trying to forget ever existed. In many ways, Garden Shed is a work that draws from all the major groups that made prog. what it was, but innovates and stands apart from the works of all those bands. Although vocally similar to Yes whilst compositionally closer to Genesis with a few nods to Gentle Giant and a tad amateurish at times overall, this is record as grandiose as it is fun to listen to, and a fitting closure to prog. rock's golden age.

Each of the six tracks present here are gorgeous exclamations in both complexity and pop sensibility. Opening number 'Midnight Madness' twists and turns with quirky synths before the vocals and the main beat clocks in and you begin to hear why England are interesting: they remind you of other bands in the genre, but sound utterly unlike any one them. Like all classic prog., this track remains memorable and engaging throughout its seven minutes while still showing off the chops of the people involved. You couldn't ask for a tastier beginning.

However, there's plenty of fun highlights in the ensuing songs. 'Paraffinalea' is a quirky, upbeat analog synth driven number that wouldn't be out of place on Gentle Giant's early albums and 'Yellow' is an acoustic stab into the band's more idyllic potential, bringing to mind images of green hillsides and blazing sunsets. There are also two suites, 'Three Piece Suite' and 'Poisoned Youth', that portray just how fantastic these guys were at songwriting for longer pieces. The former is very bright, the latter dark and full of delicious, pounding bass n' drums that wouldn't be out of place on a Miles Davis or King Crimson album somewhere.

The latter half of the 1970's was not a friendly place for progressive rock, nor was it that welcoming a time for experimental music in general. The time when a 60-minute piece of music could chart at #1 on the Top 40 in the U.S. was lonnnnng over by the time Garden Shed hit shelves. Still, there's something to be said of an album that is considered to be the "last great prog. rock album" by enthusiasts and music historians, and you can all be the judge of that proclamation for yourselves when you give this underrated record a spin on a drive or in the comfort of your homes, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something wholly good and awesome sounding in a genre derided for its cheesefests and pretentious ramblings.